princess deena

princess deena al juhani abdulaziz

for awhile now, I have taken notice of princess deena al juhani abdulaziz. she is a saudi princess and the owner of a boutique called D'NA in riyadh, saudi arabia. lately, she has caught my eye with her personal style. she is usually front row at fashion shows and for some reason I can't get this outfit of hers off my mind. I love white in the summer and when there is drapery involved, its even more perfect. princess deena was actually at the chanel resort 2015 show in dubai a couple of months ago, sporting this look. for some reason, I can't figure out if this dress is actually chanel, but any rate, I think it looks stunning on her. its got structure and shape and I love the way it drapes to her figure. this is exactly what I would like to wear in the summer. its such a sophisticated, yet mysterious look and I love the idea of wrapping oneself in luxurious fabric. I don't know why, but it also reminds me of kristin scott thomas' character in anthony minghella's film the english patient ....especially that scene when ralph fiennes carries her dead body through the sahara desert in that white blanket. perhaps, I am going off on a tangent but I see some fashion connections between the two. if you are unfamiliar with princess deena al juhani abdulaziz definitely check her out, especially her sartorial moments on the street. this is by far, her best look and I hope too see more stunning looks, like this, from her. its always exciting and inspiring too discover someone with such sleek style like princess deena, especially nowadays, when everyone tends too look the same. I certainly will be paying special style attention to her....its all about incognito drapery chic in white!

miyake moment

photo by danny feser

I have been meaning to share my new issey miyake bilbao bag that I purchased in new york city this past april for awhile now, but I have been holding off, just because I wanted the image too be perfect and I think this moment really shows the beauty and mystery of this purse. as you can see, the bag is actually a vibrant green color. yes, I know this is not a color I typically go for, but with issey miyake I make no rules. perhaps, the best part about an issey miyake purse is the way you can work with those bright colors into your wardrobe and when you wear all black, like myself, it just kind of works, so easily. my new green bag is actually larger than the other issey miyake purses that I own, so I feel like this purse is definitely a statement piece. its interesting how strangers will come up to me and ask me about this bag, not so much like its fashion, but more like its a piece of art. to me, it crosses the line between fashion and art, which I why I appreciate it so much. there is nothing label about it and I love how it adds some pop into any outfit. at any rate, last month, my brother-in-law snapped this photo of me at the gagosian gallery....the show was for the artist albert oehlen and I just love the way my black dress and bag somehow blend into the artwork. this was a very incognito chic moment, and I love how unplanned it was. sometimes, the best style moments happen when you least expect it....a big thanks to danny feser for snapping this moment. he totally captured the essence of my pleats please purse....don't you think?

incognito chic

photo by inez van lamsweerde & vinoodh matadin

even though my issey miyake moment at the gagosian gallery was totally unplanned I still had some photo inspiration in mind. for some reason, I am very fascinated by people in space, especially at art galleries and museums. I don't know if other people find art spaces intriguing, but I do. occasionally, you stumble upon individuals that are dressed well, usually in black, and for some reason it just goes so well with the art work. its all about the timing, the style, and capturing the right moments in space. at any rate, I stumbled upon this louis vuitton image of arizona muse photographed by inez & vinoodh and I just thought it reminded of the style that I like to capture when I go to art museums and galleries. this is just one of the images from the art of travel louis vuitton fall/winter 2013 campaign, but this is the one caught my eye, the most. I love the way arizona muse looks in that turtleneck looking at that painting of the mona lisa. this is incognito chic at its finest and I think her body language too, is complete perfection. the way her legs are directed towards the camera in that skirt and heels just brings a lot of thought to my imagination and I love the overall mystery. I don't know why, I just noticed this louis vuitton campaign, but it is styled and photographed so immaculately. my dream is to always capture moments like this.....no matter where I go. I guess there is something so alluring about being so anonymously chic and I think this image definitely proves that point!

smells like memories

my replica image for maison martin margiela

recently, I discovered through instagram that fashion designer maison martin margiela was doing a photo challenge. naturally, I felt the need to submit, just because I am a huge fan of his design aesthetic and I thought the hashtag #smellslikememories was something that I could very much relate to. in case you were wondering what it was all about here it is....maison martin margiela asked artists from around the world to photograph and submit moments that call upon olfactive and sensorial intimacy. its kind of a mysterious theme, but I like challenges like this because it involves a lot of imagination and thinking outside of the box, which is what I try to do when I take photos. surprisingly, within a week my image of a random girl I photographed on the beach was selected to be replicated into a small fragrance, I believe it is for the beach walk scent. how this all happened is beyond me, but I feel so honored to be one of the few selected. this was actually, a very spur of the moment shot and for some reason I gravitated towards the way this girl was walking on the beach. perhaps, it was her all black ensemble and the way it contrasts with that beach sand. its all so eye catching and the more I look at this photo it somehow reminds me of walking on the moon, more than the beach. there is something kind of space age noir chic about it. at any rate, this was one of my favorite sartorial shots that I captured this year and I feel so grateful that margiela even noticed me. I believe the fragrance will be available at sephora stores around the world and I cannot wait to receive mine.....my only suggestion would be that the fragrance be called noir chic, just to make it a little more personal, but I really cannot complain about this one...so special, indeed!

here is the link too see my image as well as the other ones selected:
http://replicafragrances.tumblr.com/tagged/beachwalk

kamali kulture

photo by patrick demarchelier

earlier this week, I stumbled upon this US vogue image of supermodel linda evangelista, taken in 1990. after doing a little research, I found out that this bathing suit was designed by norma kamali. I knew right away that it was, just because that silhouette and those sleek cut outs are so her signature style and I love that two decades later norma kamali is still designing the same kind of swimsuits. she truly knows what works for women, no matter the decade. I know this image feels very 90's, but I actually love the way linda evangelista looks in it and I think it could easily translate in 2014. plus, I also love the extra styling with that bathrobe and those strappy heels. I don't know why, but I always love the combination of a form fitting bathing suit with a white bathrobe. for some reason, those two together remind me of the idea of being comfy sporty chic and I think what I admire most about this image is that it shows how a norma kamali bathing suit can be both practical, fashion forward, and so easy to wear. I think for most women, buying that perfect one piece bathing suit can be quite a challenge, but with norma kamali swimwear I don't think you really have those issues.....she makes a suit for every kind of body shape, which is what I think makes her so special. I was so pleasantly surprised to discover this image this week as I love it when random style inspiration suddenly appears in my life. on a side note, I can totally relate to that smile on linda evangelista's face....I guess she is smiling, too, because she realized how amazing norma kamali swimwear really is....totally understandable!

norma noir

photo by my sister

while in new york city a couple of months ago, I bought myself my first norma kamali bathing suit and I must say it takes swimwear to a whole new level. I have heard people say that norma kamali makes incredible swimwear, but I never really knew till I actually tried one of her bathing suits on. before her swimwear, to me, it was all about her sleeping bag coats. what can I say, her winter coats are all that and so much more and I love how she blends sporty chic and fancy together. as of now, I can say the same for her bathing suits. in the future, I will share a more detailed image of the actual bathing suit, but at this moment, I like this image of my swimsuit from a distance. in case you cannot tell it is a one piece asymmetrical bathing suit with mesh cut outs and it fit likes a glove. perhaps, the best part about this swimsuit is that it can also be worn for exercise, too. it is made with a comfortable lycra material that is suitable for the water and for working out. I think that is probably part of the reason why I admire norma kamali so much because she always thinks about form, function, and style. at any rate, I wanted to create a mysterious italian noir chic summer vibe with this photo. so with that in mind I added my favorite black parasol, my prada sunnies, and found a gorgeous walkway leading to the beach too incorporate some drama to this photo. I think my bathing suit also adds a little something extra and I like that you can only see me from far away. mystery is always best with photography and I love that this new norma kamali bathing suit motivated me to do something incognito chic inspired. so glad I purchased this bathing suit and I guess now I can finally understand why she is praised for her swimwear!

from a distance

photo by christian coigny

so I must admit that for my norma noir chic image I was very much inspired by photographer christian coigny. he is a swiss photographer that I just discovered and from what I know of him he works primarily in black and white photography. he is very much influenced by american painters like edward hopper and georgia o' keefe and for some strange reason, when looking at his work, I could very much see those influences in his photography. at any rate, he has shot some campaigns for hermès and chopard jewelry to just name a few and I really admire his overall visual aesthetic. its black and white photography at its best and this is the image that very much inspired me when I did that previous shot in my norma kamali bathing suit. this photo is actually from his men and women portfolio series and I love the way this model looks in that one piece bathing suit on that diving board from that far away distance.....its definite noir summer chic and I also think stunning location adds to the overall beauty of this shot. this is also a perfect example of why I love a one piece bathing suit....I think that swimsuit silhouette is perfection on her and I love her body language. while I know my image is no where as alluring as this photo it still very much inspired me to try and do something similar. its always a great feeling when photography has that kind of magical effect. do check out his photography if you like this image. he definitely takes incognito and noir chic to the next level....amazing how he can do both!

turban pose

my sister in her scarf turban

last week, as a belated birthday gift to my sister I decided to treat her to a massage. of course, with a massage comes lots of rest and relaxation and in this case a pool with a stylish cabana. naturally, I had lots of photo ideas in mind.... I mean why not, if you have a beautiful setting you must take advantage of the situation. the spa gave us really comfortable white bathrobes and as you can see my sister is wearing hers. we didn't really plan out anything, but I noticed my sister brought some scarves to the spa and I like how she magically turns them into stylish turbans. personally, I am not as creative as her and prefer to buy ready made turbans. its interesting how we both interpret the turban look. at any rate, I love the way my sister wrapped her pale blue scarf turban and the way it contrasts with her spa bathrobe, her vibrant red lipstick, and those striped pillows. to me, this feels like a scene out of a wes anderson film....maybe his 2007 film the darjeeling limited with that yellow background and the way this shot is composed. there is something kind of india-esque about this moment that I so appreciate and while we didn't really plan this image, I love it when spontaneous moments like this happen. we really had such a relaxing day together, lounging by the pool, laughing, taking photos, and drinking cucumber water, our personal favorite summer drink. I am thinking, maybe we should plan out more weekend spa days like this together, just because it always feels like something unexpectedly stylish happens when we are lounging in our bathrobes and turbans.

sonho de verão

photo by mario principe

while I didn't specifically plan out that photo of my sister in her turban scarf and bathrobe it didn't necessarily mean that I didn't have a certain image in mind. I always have some kind of inspiration in my head that leads to something and I feel like whether we realize it or not, we are all subconsciously influenced by something. case in point, last summer I came across this image of model fabiana capra from the june 2013 issue of vogue portugal from an editorial entitled sonho de verão, which simply translates as dream of summer, and I just fell in love with the styling of this layout, particularly this image. I think its quite eye catching the way the stripes are used in the background and of course the way it blends with her gorgeous towel turban. its all so brilliantly coordinated together and for some reason I thought of this pic when I was photographing my sister. while its not an exact replicate, for some reason the cabana pillows made me want to do something loosely inspired by this image. I thought I would switch things around a bit and and add a wes anderson style element to it. at any rate, if you have never looked through vogue portugal I highly suggest you skim through the pages. lately, I have been finding some visually stimulating layouts that have been inspiring me with my writing and my photo projects. as we all know, nowadays, its hard to find innovation in magazines, but vogue portugal has been one of the few publications that has given me hope that style is still well and alive!

a shaded view

photo by frederico cabrera

my quest for the perfect summer black hat never ends. I am always looking for an image, a look, anything that will inspire me. a couple of months ago, I discovered a photographer named frederico cabrera and stumbled upon this photograph. I was totally in heaven when I saw this pic, I mean it doesn't get anymore incognito chic than this. when I think about how I would want to look in the summer this is the exact look that comes to mind. the idea of hiding behind a hat has always been something that inspires me, just because I like to remain a mystery and a little noir chic when I get dressed up. I just like the idea of covering up and showing the parts that need to be seen. there are so many reasons as to why I love this image. first of all, I love that this hat practically dominates her face. all we see are her full lips and that long, elegant neck. there is skin showing, but she is still covered up, leaving a lot up to the imagination. I definitely wonder how this photo was taken especially because it looks like lighting and time of day, played a huge role in perfecting this photo. at any rate, I have been meaning to showcase this summer chic image for awhile and now seemed like the perfect time to share....photographs like this were simply meant for sisters in black!

the other side

in ann demeulemeester

speaking of super sized hats.....I couldn't help but think of my moment with this amazing ann demeulemeester black hat from her spring/summer 2014 collection. I featured this hat a couple of months ago, when I was in new york city, but for some reason this angle of the hat reminded me of that brilliant frederico cabrera image. I know they aren't exactly similar, but I love the idea of hiding behind an oversized hat. its perfect in the summer and even works well in the winter. the interesting part about this ann demeulemeester hat is that from every angle it looks different. this was my favorite side of the hat.....to me, it looks very vintage balenciaga, but also a bit modern avant-garde. yes, its not a look for everybody, but that is what makes it so special. I feel like every summer I get obsessed with a unique hat and this one for sure has to be the most eye catching of the season. I still think about it on a daily basis and what a piece of art it was to try on. my only issue with the hat is that it was way expensive...if only it was more affordable. at any rate, I love that there are so many individual ways to wear this hat and I so treasure the moment I had in it and if someone were to ask me what do I think is the hat of the season, I would totally say this ann demeulemeester creation. it really doesn't get any more dramatic and noir chic than this.....such a masterpiece and so perfect for this time of year. all it really needs is a simple black dress and the look is ready to go!